¨¨.~/*$§@# #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ WINDS ESKER $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ KEPT ME AWAY. @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ BLUEBERRIES. @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# WERE, I HAD TO STOP. #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ AWAY. §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## REMEMBER. ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## GROUND ITSELF. ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ FORK. @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## ##@§$*/~.¨